§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes there have been in the funding of the Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme operated by the Inner London Probation Service since 1 May 1997. [47065]
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§ Ms QuinExcluding grants for accommodation training, the Inner London Probation Service received £1,344,218 in 1997–98 and £1,308,742 in 1998–99 in Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme funding, which represents an improvement of £35,476 on what was originally envisaged in the previous Government's spending plans.
Since 1 April 1995, local probation services, not the Home Office, have been responsible for the administration of grants to the independent sector for offender accommodation (the "Probation Accommodation Grants Scheme"—PAGS). Prior to that date, the Home Office paid providers directly, regardless of their area of location.
When the grants were devolved, this was on the basis that payments to each probation service would be tapered over about five years until the proportion of the total accommodation grant paid to each service was in proportion to the total revenue grant paid to each service under the national cash limits formula. This has meant that some services have received stepped increases in their accommodation grants whilst others, including the Inner London Probation Service, have received decreased grants.